Chapter 11 Chapter 4 is imminent

"Well, in this case, speaker, the conclusion seems very obvious—the basic psychological state of the First Foundation has undergone a holistic change. If they only know of the existence of the Seldon Project, but do not understand any details of it, then , although they will have confidence in themselves, they can't be sure; they know they will succeed in the end, but they can't predict how and when they will succeed. Therefore, this creates a continuous tension, which is exactly what Xie What Dayton expected. In other words, the first base can be counted on to maximize its potential."

"That's a vague metaphor," said the chief speaker, "but I can see what you mean." "But now, speaker, they already know the existence of the Second Foundation. I mean, in addition to Seldon's obscure description back then, they have learned many details. They have vaguely felt that the Second Foundation The function of the second base is to guard the Seldon plan, knowing that this organization is monitoring their progress every step of the way, and will not sit by and watch them fail. So they gave up the initiative and waited for us to use stretchers to carry them. Sorry, this is another It's a metaphor."

"It's okay, keep talking." "They no longer work hard, become weak and decadent, develop inertia, and raise a culture of hedonism, all of which are eroding the Seldon plan. They must constantly motivate themselves." "Are you finished?" "No, I still have something to say. What I said above is only the reaction of the majority of people, but there is also a reaction of a small number of people, and the corresponding probability is very high. When our role as guardian and controller is exposed Afterwards, instead of being satisfied, there will be a small number of people who will become very hostile to us. This derivation is based on Gorilov's theorem..."

"Yes, yes, I know that theorem." "I'm sorry, speaker, it's really difficult to avoid mathematics. Anyway, the effect of our exposure, in addition to making the First Foundation less proactive, will also make some people think about dealing with us— —actively against us." "Are you finished now?" "There is another factor, and its probability is not high..." "Very well, what is that?" "When the first base was fighting the empire with all its heart and soul, the only enemy was a huge remnant that was eliminated by the times. At that time, they obviously focused on the development of physical science. But after we appeared, we formed a new and significant influence on them , will most likely cause a change in their ideas. Maybe some people will try to become psychologists..."

"That change," said the chief speaker calmly, "has already happened." The disciple pursed his lips tightly, forming a pale straight line.He came to his own conclusion: "Then it's all over, for this creates a result that is incompatible with the nature of the plan. Speaker, is it possible for me to know this fact if I were - an outsider?" The Chief Speaker said gravely: "I know you are humiliated, young man. Because you thought you knew the whole situation, and suddenly, there are many very obvious things you don't know; you thought you were a Galactic Master, but suddenly find yourself facing the fate of destruction. Naturally, you will resent the ivory tower in the past, the hidden education, and the various theories you have learned."

"I used to have that emotion too, and it's a very normal phenomenon. However, during your formative years, it is indeed necessary to keep you from direct contact with the Milky Way. Therefore, you must stay here and accept all filtered knowledge, Train your mind to be sharp. We could have revealed to you this partial failure of... planning earlier, so that you would not be shocked until today. But then you would not be able to understand the true gravity, whereas now you can experience—so you find that there is no answer at all to this question?" The disciple shook his head violently, and said in a desperate tone, "No!"

"Well, I'm not surprised. Listen to me, young man, there's a solution, and we've been on this path for over a decade. It's not an ordinary course of action, and it's against our willing, but we have to. It corresponds to very low odds and involves dangerous assumptions—sometimes, we are even forced to deal with individual responses because it is the only way to survive. But you Also know that psychostatistics are meaningless when applied to populations smaller than a planet." "Are we going well?" the disciple asked, panting. "There is no way to see it now. We have controlled the situation to be fairly stable-now, the unpredictable behavior of an ordinary individual may destroy the entire Seldon plan. In the history of plan execution, this is the first time This happened. We selected the fewest outsiders and adjusted their state of mind; we also had our own agents - but they all acted according to the plan and never dared to adapt to the situation. You should understand the current situation very well, and I don't intend to Concealing the worst from you - if we are found out, I mean here, in this world, then not only will the Seldon Project be destroyed, but ourselves, our flesh and blood will be buried with us. So you can see Come out, our solution is not ideal."

"But the little bit you mentioned just now doesn't sound like a solution at all, but like a desperate guess." "No, shall we say, an informed guess." "When will the crisis come, speaker? When will we know if it will succeed?" "It won't be more than a year, there's no question about that." The disciple thought for a while, then nodded, stepped forward to shake the speaker's hand, and said, "Anyway, I'm glad I know this." After speaking, he turned and left. The chief speaker looked out silently as the window pane gradually became transparent.His gaze has passed many huge buildings, and has been projected into the silent and crowded starry sky.

One year will pass quickly, and by that time, will any of them, the "chosen people of Seldon," still be alive?